Gerald Nayer Reynolds

Gerald (Jerry) Nayer Reynolds, 97, of Pantego, Texas, passed away peacefully on June 5, 2026, in Arlington, TX. Born in Alice, TX, on July 19,1928, to Earnest Alvin and Mary Nayer Reynolds, Jerry was the second-youngest of six children, all raised in a relatively poor, but very loving, close-knit family. Jerry lived in Alice until his family moved to San Antonio in 1942, where he graduated from high school. He then worked at Kelly Field in the administrative office, where he earned money so that he and his younger brother, Alan, could attend San Antonio Junior College. After attending San Antonio Junior College from 1946-1947 and running out of money, he had to postpone his education temporarily, going to work for civil service as a mechanics helper, then later for American Airlines as a baggage/freight loader and unloader.

Jerry began his military service in the U.S. Navy on November 10, 1948. His 3-month boot camp was in San Diego, where he qualified for both pilot cadet training and electronics school. He chose electronics school and enrolled in a 42-week training program. After graduating from Naval Electronics School in early 1950, Jerry was assigned to the U.S.S. Wantuck, a modified destroyer escort designed to carry special forces on clandestine missions during the Korean War. Jerry was one of three electronic technicians aboard ship. During the Korean War, Jerry’s ship was part of the night-time Inchon Invasion, as well as other military missions. Jerry left the Navy in 1952, earning an Honorable Discharge as Electronics Technician 1st Class (E-6). He then traveled back to San Antonio and went back to work for American Airlines, but now making a whole $1.25/hour instead of the seventy-five cents/hour he was making when he left San Antonio four years earlier.

After saving a little money, Jerry moved to Austin, and with the help of the GI Bill, attended the University of Texas. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1956. While attending U.T., Jerry became close friends with his roommates, later attending and serving in each other’s weddings, socializing with their families, and remaining lifelong friends with the guys and their wives until the past year, with the passing of the last of the group one month prior to Jerry’s passing.

After graduating from U.T., Jerry went to work for Convair/General Dynamics (Lockheed Martin) in Fort Worth as an Aerophysics Engineer, first working on the feasibility of nuclear applications, then later as a System’s Engineer in Reliability Engineering. Later, in 1962, Jerry went to work for LTV (Vought) in Grand Prairie, working first on the Lunar Excursion Module for the Apollo program, then later got involved with space studies such as Orbital Launch Operations, helping to design our first space station and the Lunar Logistic System after that. His field of expertise was Reliability, Maintainability, Human and Safety Engineering. It was while he was working at LTV (Vought) that Jerry started graduate school at SMU, working towards his Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering (eventually finishing his Master’s in 1963).

It was during Christmas time of 1956 when Jerry was visiting his family in San Antonio that he was persuaded by one of his friends to go on a blind date with Phyllis, a woman who lived in Dallas and worked as a Registered Nurse at Parkland Hospital. Phyllis was also from San Antonio and was visiting her family in San Antonio as well. Their blind date was a rousing success. After their date, Jerry arranged to drive her back to Dallas, and the rest is history. Phyllis would become the love of his life. They became engaged six weeks after their blind date, and they married on March 8, 1957, just 10 short weeks after that first date.

Jerry and Phyllis’s first child, Gerald Jr, was born in February 1958, followed by Keith in May 1960. Jerry was a devoted husband and father. He was an inspiration to his family and to everyone who knew him. He

led by example. Jerry and Phyllis raised their family in Arlington, TX. While raising their young family, Jerry and Phyllis bought 80 acres near the town of Paradise, TX in 1962, They had a farmhouse moved onto the property and proceeded to plant 2200 pecan trees. The farm served as a family adventure, where many weekends were spent mowing, planting, irrigating, grafting, harvesting, and working the farm. While the boys were young, Jerry and Phyllis started doing antique shows throughout the United States in 1969, after the death of Phyllis’s mother, who had been in the antique business for many years prior to her death. “Reynolds Antiques, Inc” was formed, and eventually, Jerry left Vought in 1980 to work full-time in the family antique business alongside Phyllis.

In 1984, with increased scheduling and business commitments, the farm was sold, and Reynolds Antiques expanded even further. Jerry, always the learner, had continued his education by becoming a Graduate Gemologist from the Gemological Institute of America in 1981, and a Gemologist Fellow from the Gemological Association of Great Britain in 1986. Jerry and Phyllis, along with their best friends Roger and Barbara Larson (also antique dealers), did Antique Shows throughout the United States. Jerry Jr. and Keith, and later the grandkids spent many weekends traveling to antique shows with Jerry and Phyllis. Many fond memories were made. Jerry and Phyllis retired from their antique business in 2008, after selling antiques for 40 years.

Around 1995, Jerry and Phyllis bought a fixer-upper front-row beach house in Crystal Beach, Bolivar Peninsula. With a lot of help from family, it became the perfect retreat. It provided many, many fun weekends of hard work, remodeling, new additions, and fun vacations for the entire family. They eventually sold the beach house in 2003, just a few years before Hurricane Ike leveled hundreds of beach houses, including the family beach house. The family has so many great memories of the time we spent together at the beach house.

Since Phyllis’s passing, Jerry served as a volunteer at Arlington Memorial Hospital until 2020 and, until just recently, at the DFW National Cemetery, where he served as a volunteer at the Public Information Center. Jerry thoroughly enjoyed working at the DFW National Cemetery, where he made many good friends.

Jerry is preceded in death by his loving wife of 57 years, Phyllis Schulze Reynolds; parents, Ernest and Mayme Reynolds; siblings Ernestine Polvado (Cecil), Micky Reynolds (Jonnie), Ransom Reynolds (Mary), Jean Rockowitz (Rocky), and Alan Reynolds; and mother/father-in-law Essie & Elmore Schulze.

Jerry is survived by his sons Gerald Reynolds Jr. (Julie) and Keith Reynolds; grandchildren Keith (KJ) Reynolds Jr. (fiancée Taylor), Kevin Reynolds (Rachel), Gerald Reynolds III (Sarah), Adrienne Wiles (Josiah), Olivia Chick (Cove), and Kristy Reynolds; great-grandchildren Aiden Reynolds, Kellyn Reynolds, Gage Reynolds, and Gideon Wiles; and numerous nephews, nieces, and friends.

Jerry is an inspiration to us all. He was one-of-a-kind, a gentle spirit, intelligent, loyal, loving, and the best example of what we strive to be. He was such a fun, friendly, and wonderful Husband, Dad, Father-in-law, Grandad, Great-Grandad, Uncle, Brother, Friend, and just an all-around “good guy.” He will be missed, but he will live in our memories and in our hearts forever. His life was truly a life well-lived.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, July 1, 2026, at 10:30 am at First Baptist Church of Arlington. A luncheon will follow at the church. The Inurnment Service will take place at DFW National Cemetery at 3:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may make a memorial donation to the Texas A&M Foundation, 401 George Bush Drive, College Station, TX 77840. Gifts received will be applied to the Alan Curry Reynolds Endowed Memorial Scholarship account, 400-33876. Please designate gifts “In Memory of Mr. Gerald N. “Jerry” Reynolds, Sr.” in the memo line of the check. To donate online, click on the following link: http://give.am/AlanCurryReynoldsScholarship Please choose “This gift is in honor of someone special” in the gift details section.